Conte: 'Juve wasted a bonus'

Antonio Conte admits Juventus “wasted a bonus,” but defended Gigi Buffon for his howler and continued to target the Scudetto.

Antonio Conte admits Juventus “wasted a bonus,” but defended GigiBuffon for his howler and continued to target the Scudetto.

The Bianconeri’s three-point lead at the top of the table has been reduced to just one after tonight’s shock 1-1 draw with Lecce[12], as Buffon tried to dribble Andrea Bertolacci and was caught out.

“This is football,” said Conte. “It was a chaotic draw, but it’s not the first time this has happened. Today it was our turn to concede a strange goal.

“It is another reason we need to grow, but obviously there are regrets, as we could’ve put a real marker on the Scudetto.

“If in the last two games we do well, then we will win the title, otherwise the other team will be better.

“We wasted a bonus and now are forced to win the next two matches. At the start of the season we’d all have been super-excited to be one point clear at the top of the table with two rounds to go.

“We are achieving extraordinary things and don’t forget we were coming off two seventh-place finishes in recent years.

“Buffon had an accident, as can happen when strikers miss goals. He is strong and experienced enough to react positively, seeing as so many times this season he has been decisive for us.

“We had several chances to double our lead, but were not precise. Drawing a game like this was totally unexpected. Probably the importance of the match took away some of our sharpness and put extra pressure on our shoulders.

“We’re unbeaten in 36 Serie A games and must do well to control our advantage in the next two weeks to make a dream come true.”

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